Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill
Thursday that supporters say will assure unfettered practice of religion
without government interference but that opponents worry could lead to
state-sanctioned discrimination against gays and lesbians.

The bill, called the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act,
will become law July 1. It also will add "In God We Trust" to the state
seal.

An early version of the bill, considered weeks ago, was similar to
one Arizona's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, vetoed after business
groups said it could hurt that state's economy. Supporters say the
finalMississippi bill bears little resemblance to the failed Arizona
measure.

Outside the state Capitol on Thursday, more than 75 gay-rights
supporters protested against the bill. Jeff White of Waveland, a founder
of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Lesbian and Gay Community Center, said as
someone who is gay and Jewish, he worries such a new law could make him
more vulnerable to unfair treatment.

"It's the first time in my life that I've actually considered moving
out of Mississippi," said White, 32. "It made me physically ill the past
few days, realizing what they're trying to do."

It gets worse. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council was present when Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed that awful bill. In fact he was invited to the signing ceremony. Thanks to Jeremy Hooper at Goodasyou.org for the awesome graphic below. It serves to remind folks just who supports this awful bill so we are not fooled as to what it's actually about:

About Me

Alvin McEwen is 46-year-old African-American gay man who resides in Columbia, SC.
McEwen's blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and writings have been mentioned by Americablog.com, Goodasyou.org, People for the American Way, PageOneQ.com, The Washington Post, Raw Story, The Advocate, Media Matters for America, Crooksandliars.com, Thinkprogress.org, Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, Melissa Harris-Perry, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Blade, and Foxnews.com.
In addition, he is also a past contributor to Pam's House Blend,Justice For All, LGBTQ Nation, and Alternet.org. He is a present contributor to the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post,
He is the 2007 recipient of the Harriet Daniels Hancock Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2010 recipient of the Order of the Pink Palmetto from the SC Pride Movement as well as the 2009 recipient of the Audre Lorde/James Baldwin Civil Rights Activist Award from SC Black Pride. In addition, he is a three-time nominee of the Ed Madden Media Advocacy Award from SC Pride.